Yogi’s Make the Best Friends

A yoga community is a very special place indeed! When I gaze around the circle of students in a yoga class, I continuously find myself in awe by the strong connection that I can feel between us. Sometimes I sense this connection between myself as a teacher feeling a synchronistic flow with the students, and other times as a student feeling unified with the teacher or group. It doesn’t seem to matter who is there or what type of class it is – could be Asana, meditation, lecture or Kirtan. But how can that be? Yogi’s are a diverse group of individuals, all coming from different pasts, unique paths, and probably each person in the room has their own reason for being there. I know, both in my own experience and also having heard it from my teacher Dennis Hill, that “yogi’s make the best friends”…. but I find myself pondering, why is that? Who are yogi’s and how do we end up magically coming together to form tribes of lifelong friendship and support?

Yoga is a Sanskrit word that means “Union”. Of course this is a broad concept that can be interpreted in many ways. Some might say that Yoga is the union of mind, body and spirit. Others perhaps would say that Yoga unifies us with nature or that meditation unites us with our true self. We know that in practice, we unite our breath with movement and meditation. According to the teachings of Vedanta, the union we are referring to in Yoga and meditation is the merging of our local consciousness with universal consciousness.

In applying this to my own life, I notice that when I have approached situations from the standpoint of focusing on the differences between people, places, things… then I feel stifled and negative. When I shift my focus to be on the similarities between people, places, and things…. then I feel like I am being set free, and I notice that my thoughts and feelings becoming more positive and accepting. So this is what I yearn for, when I look across the classroom or any type of interaction with others, I hope to see the similarities between us, rather than the differences. You’re invited to experiment and see for yourself – what is it like when you gaze into the eyes of another human being and see your own self looking back? How does this shift your perspective and connection?

Because Yoga at it’s very core is about unity, and has been practiced for thousands of years in groups of teachers and students, I wonder if perhaps the practice itself is infused with a sacred energy of connection. So in this way, no matter who you are or what type of yoga class or studio you choose to attend, you can feel the underlying energy of unity between the beings in the room. Among the many varied gifts that we receive from our Yoga and meditation practices, perhaps this is the part that causes our experience to feel like “much more than just a stretching class”. I believe that when the yogi is established in contentment and tuned-in to intuition they become more attuned to the subtle energies of life. Perhaps this actually guides them to find the studio or yoga community where they are meant to be, surrounded by other like-minded and open-hearted individuals.

Sometimes when I think of the yoga tribes I’m a part of all over the world, filled with friends, family, teachers and contemporaries, it almost seems too good to be true! But when I remember that we were all brought together by the energy of unity, and that at our roots, we are one… then it only makes sense that we would be together! 

Shanti Om ~ Peace ~ Peace ~ Peace